Chapter 2: Night Assassin - Part I

Coruscant

It was an evening. The Galactic City was in myriad twinkling lights. In the center of Galactic City, there was an area called the Federal District. The Imperial Palace which was known as Jedi Temple before the Imperial Era was located in the Federal District.

In a room of the Imperial Palace, there was a black big machine that looked like an immersion bell. In the machine, a middle-aged man in black armor with the same color long cloak on his back was in deep thought. His name is Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith. He was also the apprentice of Emperor Palpatine who is also known as Darth Sidious, served for the Emperor as his capable assistant. This black machine was his meditation chamber. A life support pod designed to make him survive without wearing his dark black helmet and mask.

In Darth Vader's mind…

The Dark Lord came into an unfamiliar black forest. At this time, the forest is on a cold winter night. The howling cold wind and the white snowflakes made this snow-covered land seemed pretty mysterious and terrifying.

"What is this place?" Vader said to himself because this is the first time he entered such a strange place like this. The Dark Lord walks through this forest and often turns around and observes the surroundings. Vader suddenly stopped and head to his front…

"There is someone else here!" Vader said to himself. He took out his lightsaber quickly and hurried toward his front.

Soon, the Sith Lord found a shadow that appeared on an open space not far from him. The figure backs to him and wears a black trench coat with a black hood and shawl that completely covers the figure's head and neck. Vader also noticed that the figure is a little shorter and thinner than him.

"Who are you?" Vader asked that strange figure. The figure didn't answer but turned around and face the Dark Lord of the Sith. Now Vader sees the figure is wearing a stance black helmet with a mask that in silver and black just like him. However, there are many pits and cracks on that figure's hamlet. The strange figure also has a black metal tube with a crossguard on its end in his right hand.

The figure finally speaks with a heavy mechanic male voice just like Vader to the Sith Lord, "I'm ready, grandpa!" The figure then astride and lean forward his body. Then he turned on the metal tube and three red beams of energy came out with lightsabers' unique sound.

Apparently, this man's metal tube is a lightsaber. However, Vader suddenly discovered that this lightsaber is quite different from the lightsabers he had seen before. This man's lightsaber not only has a crossguard but also has pretty unstable blades.

Vader turned on his lightsaber at the same time, but he feels perplexed. This strange man called him his "grandpa"! How could this happen? It seems that he should defeat this strange masked man if he wants to know the answer. Vader then points his lightsaber to this strange man and said, "Let me see who you are!"

Suddenly, a voice came out, "Lord Vader!" It disrupted Darth Vader's meditation. The Sith Lord woke up and find that he was still in the meditation chamber. Then, the voice which came from the radio said, "I'm sorry to disturb your mediation, Lord Vader. The Emperor wants to meet you."

Darth Vader didn't say anything, he then controlled the machine to put on his helmet. The meditation chamber opened with a heavy sound and Vader goes out and heads to the internal of the Imperial Palace.

In a room on the top floor of the Imperial Palace…

The doors opened and Darth Vader entered the room. Emperor Palpatine was sitting on a chair near the window at the center of the room. Vader came to the Emperor's front and kneeled to him and asked, "Are you calling for me, master?"

"Yes," Palpatine answered. "My apprentice, you did well in the Shu-Torun War and the punishment of Dr. Cylo."

"Thank you, my master," Vader answered.

Palpatine then said, "Due to the obvious failing in his command, Grand General Tagge will be demoted. The entire Death Fleet will be under your control. The Executor is yours."

"Thank you, my master," Vader answered. Grand General Tagge was always Darth Vader's trouble in the past period. Now he finally has a chance to eradicate him. So, Darth Vader looked up and decide to request the execution to Tagge from the Emperor.

However, by the time Vader looked up, he suddenly saw something near the Emperor's seat. It was an earthy yellow statue with a human body and ahead in a cow's head shape. There was a cross star-shaped mark in the chest of the statue. The face of the statue reminded Vader of those Mandalorians' helmets. Though Vader had seen many artworks collected by the Emperor that used to be distributed in different places in the galaxy, such an amount of artwork can full several spacecrafts. However, this was the first time he saw an artwork with this kind of model. "Master, that artwork…" Vader asked unconsciously.

"You mean this?" Answered Palpatine. He then came to the artwork and grabbed it. "This artwork is brought this morning. It came from Rakata Prime."

"Rakata Prime? Strange, there is no evidence shown that their local culture has this kind of idol." Vader said. He felt that something was not right.

"This is the reason I decided to keep it with me for further study." Palpatine said when he was watching at the artwork, "Rakata Prime is located in the mysterious Unknown Region of the galaxy. It has a long history, but this artwork look doesn't like an antique."

Vader stared at that artwork seriously. He suddenly snatched that statue from Palpatine's hands with Force and threw it to the outside of the window.

The artwork broke through the window and flew out of the room. However, it divided in half in the air automatically and at the same time, a large ball of black mist came out of the artwork and flying in the night sky…

"You two! Protect the Emperor!" Vader shouted to the two Royal Guards near Palpatine. He then took out his lightsaber.

Palpatine also noticed the abnormality. The black smoke seemed to be alive, and began to quickly float towards the hole in the window of the room with a hairy buzz! When the mist approached, Palpatine could see clearly that the moving black "smoke" was a group of ugly and disgusting insects!

"Be careful, master!" Darth Vader shouted and used the Force to push Palpatine aside with the Royal Guard on the right. Then Vader used the force to lift the floor of the room and block it in the hole on the window. He did it because he had just been shocked to find that these disgusting insects were completely unaffected by the Force!

The hole to the interior of the room was blocked, so the insects circled outside the palace for a while at the beginning. But soon, a group of ants like insects fell on the window glass like raindrops. They look so dense and blood freezes! In the meantime, Palpatine was safely transferred to Darth Vader's side with the help of the Royal Guard on his right. Only the Royal Guard on Palpatine's left is still standing in place, holding the force pike in his hand and staring out of the window.

But at this time, the abdomen of the ants which were fully covered the window suddenly expanded like a balloon! With a boom of the big bang, those ants were all exploded like a bomb! The Royal Guard who stands there was engulfed instantaneously by the explosion! The remaining three people in the room dodged the attack because of their timely response.

The explosion also alerted the soldiers patrolling outside the Imperial Palace. They started gathering at the palace. In the room, Darth Vader, Palpatine, and the Royal Guard slowly straightened up after the explosion subsided and found that all the windows of the room had been blown up. The black flying insects which circling outside the palace before had all gathered in the room and surrounded them!

"Be careful my master. These insects are Force resistible!" Vader reminded Palpatine. Palpatine agreed, these insects were unable to be sensed through the Force, so none of Force Push, Telekinesis, or Precognition would work on them. For this reason, they can only use their body's senses to predict the attacks from these creatures.

At that time, the insects in the air orderly divided into two groups. It seems that they have their consciousness, and follow the command from somewhere. Then, the two groups of insects suddenly evolved into two long strands and speeding towards Darth Vader and Palpatine respectively with their spat sharp buckteeth!

After seeing this, Darth Vader held the lightsaber with one hand. The lightsaber suddenly spun at a high speed like a propeller in his hand and became a red disc. Vader then extended the spinning lightsaber to the flying insects. The group of insects had no time to stop and hit the blade of the high-speed rotating lightsaber straightly. Then, they were burnt to ashes by the hot lightsaber's blade! It seems that these mysterious insects can resist the Force, but they cannot counter physical attacks.

But next, the rest of these insects quickly spread around, hovering around the Sith Lord, and ready to attack Darth Vader from many different directions. Vader stopped the rotating lightsaber. He then raised his right hand and clenched his fist. The scattered broken glass and metal fragments on the floor suddenly rose like accelerating bullets under the force and shot at the flying insects hovering in the air, cut all of them into pieces.

For the group of insects that flew to Palpatine. Before Palpatine could respond, the remaining Royal Guard rushed in front of him and pointed his force pike at these insects. The tip of the force pike releases strong blue and white electric current with penetrating sound and drive these attacking insects away.

Like the group of insects flying to Darth Vader, this group of insects also spread on all sides, but they did not try to encircle the two people in front of them as their companions did. Instead, they flew to the top of the room, gathered over the heads of Darth Vader, Palpatine, and the Royal Guard, and prepared to attack these three people from the top.

At this time, Palpatine finally made a move. He opened his hands and pointed his fingers at the group of insects hovering above their heads. With a harsh electric sound, several strong purple electric currents were emitted from the tips of the emperor's fingers and directed at the group of insects gathered in the mid-air.

This finally worked, and the insects were all burnt to ashes and scattered on the ground under the power of Lightning. After seeing the threat had been relieved, Darth Vader came to the center of the room with his lightsaber and looked around for a while. He suddenly turned around and pointed the lightsaber at the Royal Guard and said, "You have let the Emperor down, and should be tortured to death! But first, the attacker is a new enemy that has never seen before. Second, because of your heroic act of protecting the Emperor just before, I reluctantly admit you atoned for your crime!"

"Thank you, Lord Vader!" The Royal Guard knelt and replied to the Sith Lord. "But..." Darth Vader continued, "to prove your loyalty to the emperor, you have to work with me to find out who is behind this assassination!"

"Yes, my lord!" The guard replied. "Report your name!" Darth Vader ordered strictly. "Kir Kanos." said the Royal Guard.

After heard the Royal Guard's answer, Darth Vader was silent. Then the emperor chimed in, "Kir Kanos, is that the student who graduated in Yinchorr? That was under your assessment, Lord Vader." Palpatine said to Darth Vader.

Darth Vader did not answer but slowly put away his lightsaber. He then turned around and walked towards the broken window behind him. The Sith Lord came to the window and looked out. He saw that several squads of troops had gathered in the square outside the Imperial Palace. Some transport ships full of soldiers were circling near the damaged windows. On the transport boats, some of the stormtroopers were looking into the damaged room through the open hatch.

Palpatine also came to Darth Vader. "Who these attackers could be?" Before the emperor could speak, Darth Vader asked him. "I don't know," Palpatine replied. "Something or someone clouded my vision, something more mysterious. But one thing I can be sure of is that this time we are facing a powerful enemy!"

After hearing what Palpatine said, Darth Vader put his hands on his chest and looked out of the palace again. Suddenly, The Sith Lord noticed that there seemed to be a figure on the roof of a skyscraper in front of the palace.

"There!" Darth Vader said, pointing to the building ahead. Palpatine noticed the anomaly at the top of the building, too. "Be careful, my apprentice!" The emperor reminded the Sith Lord.

Vader immediately signaled the nearest transport boat to them without saying a word. He then turned to Kir Kanos and said, "You, stay and take charge. Make sure that no one knows what happened here!"

"Yes, my Lord!" The Royal Guard replied.

Darth Vader then turned around and sank into the Force. When the transport ship was close enough, Vader jumped into the transport ship's engine room through its opening door. "Your Majesty, Lord Vader, are you all right? What happened? " Asked the captain of the stormtroopers on the transport ship.

"Turn around now. The target is the building ahead!" Vader pointed the skyscraper where the suspected person appeared to the captain. The imperial pilots did not dare to slow down and immediately drove the transport ship to the building which pointed by the Sith Lord.

"Lord Vader, do you want me to call for reinforcements?" The captain asked. Darth Vader remained silent for a while, then he said cautiously to the commander, "Let the ground forces block the surrounding streets and make sure that no nonmilitary vehicles can pass through this area!"

"Yes, my Lord!" The captain then started doing this. As their transport boat approached the skyscraper, Vader noticed that the suspected person seemed to have found them, too, and began to run in the opposite direction.

"Fly over the building!" Vader ordered. "Yes, my Lord!" The captain immediately ordered the imperial pilots to accelerate the transport ship toward the top of the skyscraper. Just as the transport boat skimmed over the roof of the building, Vader sank into the force again. He then jumped out of the cabin of the transport boat and fell straight to the roof of the skyscraper.

The Sith Lord landed steadily. Then he looked up and saw that the stranger had already achieved the edge of the building and jumped to the roof of another skyscraper which is close to this building.

With Force Speed, Vader chased to the location where the stranger jumped instantly. He stood on the edge of the building and carefully observed the suspected person who had already jumped on the top of the adjacent building at the moment. Judging from the figure of the suspected person, Vader believed that this person was a woman, but what made Lord Sith curious was the running posture of the person. Different from the normal running method of stretching the trunk and swinging arms back and forth, this mysterious woman bends her body forward as much as possible and stretches her arms back at the same time which make her looks like a swallow gliding at low altitude, so her speed is much faster than ordinary people.

Vader leaped the building ahead and soon came after the woman not far behind. Vader followed the woman who was trying to run away. Soon, the woman ran to the edge of the building and jumped on the roof of another building which is next to the building.

Vader followed behind and watched the mysterious woman's movements. He didn't intend to stop his target so early, because he had to find out if the woman had any other accomplices or the one behind the assassination.

The woman dragged the Sith Lord jumping over and over the roofs of many skyscrapers. They kept turning and advancing for a while. Finally, the woman stopped at the top of an apartment facing a bright financial building. There was a long-distance between this apartment and the financial building on the other side. The financial building was much taller than their apartment. There were no other buildings around to jump on, so the woman had no way to escape.

Hello, everyone. I finally completed the first part of Chapter 2. Because of English is my second language and I actually wrote this story in another language. So I have to translate it into English and do some edits. It takes time, but I will work hard on it. Thanks for understanding.